


Intervention

by GoldenZelda21



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abused Harry, Abused Neville, Adopted Harry, Draco has a serious apple problem, Evil Dumbledore, Good Dark Side, Good Voldemort, Harry acts younger from abuse, Harry just wants an apple, Intervention, M/M, Pansy is a BAMF, Past Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, That's his story and he's sticking to it, also posted on Wattpad, bad good side, clueless teenage love, just admit your feelings already
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-24
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2018-11-18 08:44:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11287749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldenZelda21/pseuds/GoldenZelda21
Summary: Draco Malfoy has an obsession. Some may say it's unhealthy, but hey! Apples are perfectly healthy, right? Unfortunately, Harry Potter has had enough of running out of apples, and goes to his rival's friends to stage an intervention, despite them hating each other. Harry just wants apples. That's what he keeps telling himself. He absolutely does not care about that Slytherin. As rivals become closer, secrets come to light. Secrets Harry has kept hidden for ten years.





	1. Help?

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write a Drarry fic! It also involved Drapple, for a brief period. I started this for my best friend because she was obsessed with Drapple for a period of time. I decided to write it for her. I'm intending on writing a Neville/Harry fic next, because I honestly love that ship sooooooooo much and it is nearly impossible to track one down! I will be updating this as often as possible, it just depends on how I'm feeling. I just had one surgery a week ago and will be having another one in a few weeks. Either way, I hope you all enjoy this one! I had a lot of fun writing it. Thank you for taking the time to read! This is also posted on my account on wattpad, BreannaStratton!

Harry snuck around the corner, hoping no one would see him sneaking down to the dungeons. Seeing a familiar girl, he hid behind a set of armor. "Parkinson!"

The pug-faced girl halted, and looked around. "Potter? What do you want?" Sneering, she walked over to where he was hiding. 

"I need your help. This school has a serious problem, and only you will be able to help me." His eyes were almost pleading. 

"And why should I trust you? We hate each other, remember?" She gave him a calculating glance, looking him over. 

Harry grabbed his wand and handed it over to her. "There. Now I'm unarmed. Now can you please help me? It's about Malfoy." 

The effect of those words was instantaneous. Immediately Pansy stood up straighter, and dragged Harry into a broom closet. "Talk. Now. What is going on with Draco."

"Haven't you noticed? The school hasn't had a single green apple for about a year, and the only one ever seen eating them is Malfoy! He has a serious problem." 

"Wait a minute. Potter. How on earth did you manage to notice that? I sit next to him every day, don't you think I would've noticed that?" Pansy was incredulous. 

"Well, you might, if you weren't so busy staring after Zabini."

Pansy flushed, her face turning a shade of red to rival Ron's. "I don't stare at Blaise! And... Hey! You didn't answer my question! Why did you manage to notice that Draco has a serious apple obsession? Wait... have you been watching him?" Pansy's grin widened, happy to be able to throw off the Golden Boy. 

"I... I may have been... observing?" Harry quickly turned his head, avoiding eye contact. 

"You have been watching him! I knew it!" Pansy started giggling. 

"That isn't the point Parkinson! Are you gonna help me or not?" He glared at Pansy, silencing her. "Please..." 

"Fine, but I'm doing this for Draco, I hope you know that! Meet me on the Quidditch Pitch before dinner. Draco likes to fly before then. I'm also bringing Blaise, he can help." With that, Pansy strode out of the closet. 

After waiting a brief period of time, Harry snuck out and headed down to his first class of the day. Walking into the Potions classroom, he sat down next to Ron and Hermione. 

"Harry! Where have you been? You know Professor Snape doesn't like it when you're late. You barely made it on time!" Hermione automatically started. Thankfully, her montage was cut short by Snape walking through the doors, his cape billowing out behind him.

"Today we will be making a Mimic Potion. If brewed correctly, the user will repeat everything said for three hours. If brewed incorrectly, the consequences may be.... severe. This is a simple potion, and I expect even the most dimwitted of you all shall be able to brew it properly." Snape's eyes lingered on Harry, Ron, and Neville. "We are going to make this potion in pairs. Potter, you're with Malfoy." Ignoring the strangled protested, he continued on. "Zabini, with Parkinson. Weasley, you're with Bulstrode. Longbottom, with Granger." He then continued to pair up the rest of the class. 

Harry picked up his bag, and headed towards the blond. Throwing his stuff down, he sat next to him. 

"You better not mess this simple potion up, Potter. I'm not taking a failing grade for you." Malfoy opened the book to the required page. "Go get the ingredients, Potter. Surely even you can do that correctly." 

Mumbling to himself, Harry went to grab them. He made sure to double check them, so as not to anger the blond. He wanted to prove to everyone he knew what he was doing, and since Draco couldn't sabotage him without sabotaging himself, he knew he could today. Returning to the workbench, he placed the ingredients on the table. "Everything on there." 

"Thank you Potter." Malfoy was working intently, already adding and mixing. He hadn't even noticed he thanked Harry. He quickly became absorbed in his work.

Harry had to admit he had never seen Malfoy up close, without either of them attacking each other. He took this time to study his rival. His eyes, which he had always seen as grey, were more of a silvery blue. He quickly turned away, before Malfoy could notice him staring, and began handing ingredients when asked. Before too long, the potion was perfect. Harry couldn't hide the massive grin that spread across his face. However, he didn't hide it in time. Malfoy had turned to say something, and noticed his smile.

"What are you smiling for Potter?" Malfoy sneered slightly. 

Harry felt the grin slide off of his face. "No reason Malfoy. Let's go hand it in." They both filled up a vial and marked it, and left it on Snape's desk. As they were walking past Neville's cauldron on the way back, they heard an ominous hissing sound. Harry made eye contact and immediately understood the situation. He yelled at everyone to get down, but Malfoy was too busy gloating about the perfect potion to anyone that would listen. Taking a deep breath, Harry flung himself at Malfoy, knocking him down to the ground, getting the full blast of the potion when it exploded. 

"Potter. Get off me!" Malfoy struggled to push the limp body off of him. "Potter! Potter! Harry!! Get up!" Malfoy was getting frustrated with him, until he realized Harry wasn't responding. "Professor! Get over here! Something's wrong with him!" 

"Out of my way everyone. Neville. What was the last ingredient that you put in?" Snape was by Harry's side, checking his pulse. 

"Er... I-I believe it was the 4 newt tails?" Neville's timid voice rang out across the deathly silent room.

"You idiotic boy! It was newt eyes! Malfoy, help me get him to the hospital wing. Everyone else, bottle up your potions and put them on my desk. Granger, please put the exploded potion in one as well, just in case we need to identify it." With that, Harry was supported by Malfoy and Snape and swept out of the room. Ron made eye contact with Hermione. "Was it just me or did Malfoy seem worried to you?" 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry was deposited on a bed in the infirmary, and Madam Pomfrey bustled out of her room, demanding to know what happened. Snape immediately filled her in. He then proceeded to ask to be excused, as he had to go clean up the classroom. Malfoy, however, stayed behind. 

"Will he be okay, Madam Pomfrey?" The boy averted his eyes, which was unnatural for him, as he normally was full of self-confidence.

"I believe he will. I believe he just got knocked out. The potion exploded, right?"

"Yes... if it wasn't for him, I would've gotten hit. He knocked me over when I wasn't paying attention. I was too busy bragging... This is my fault." 

"Are you all right Mister Malfoy? You aren't acting like yourself." Worry etched Madam Pomfrey's face. Before she could push a little further to see what was wrong, a strangled groan arose from the bed. "Oh thank heavens you're alright!" She rushed to his side and began taking his vitals. 

"Why are you here Malfoy?" Harry's voice was slowly gaining strength. 

"I-I wanted to thank you, for knocking me out of the way." Malfoy's face had a faint tinge of pink. "I also wanted to make sure you were okay. I actually enjoyed working with you in class today. You made a better partner than I expected. How come you never do that well in class with anyone else?" 

Harry nearly snorted with laughter. "I don't because you always sabotage me. Well, you, Crabbe, and Goyle. But seriously Malfoy, it wasn't as horrible as I expected either. Well, until I nearly died. That wasn't pleasant, but at least I fulfilled my quota of one-near death experience per year."

Draco surprised him by laughing. "Glad you're okay Harry. I'm gonna head to Transfiguration. See you around." 

"See you, Malfoy." Only after Malfoy left, did Harry realize that he called him Harry. A small blush spread across his face. He turned to Madam Pomfrey, who was watching the exchange with amused eyes. "When will I be released?" 

"After classes. I don't really fancy you visiting me twice in one day, Mister Potter. While I do enjoy the company, you are in here way too much. I still don't know how you end up here so often, especially on the first day back at school. I still find it hard to believe you fell down stairs at your home while bringing your trunk down." She was reminiscing, and didn't notice Harry's face go dark. Harry knew she would become suspicious after a while. 

"I am just really clumsy, Madam Pomfrey. I fall way too often." He hoped she wouldn't notice the lie. 

"Hm, alright." Madam Pomfrey nodded her head once, but she was beginning to grow worried. If he was abused, it would explain a lot. Later she would meet with Professor McGonagall to see if she knew anything about his home life. "Alright, lay down. Get some rest while you can. If you need me, I will be in the next room over." She left the room and headed to her office. 

Harry sighed. I think she knows... she can't know. Nobody can know. He will kill me if they know. He settled into the bed, and allowed himself to think happy thoughts, such as eating a green apple for the first time in over a year, hugging Malfoy, treacle tart. It only took him one second to shoot up, realizing he had just thought about hugging Malfoy. Shaking his head, he sunk into the blankets. It was probably just the potion he was hit with. He would never think about that normally. He closed his eyes, hoping everything would be resolved tonight before dinner. With that comforting thought, he fell asleep.


	2. The Quidditch Pitch Intervention

Harry woke up, rubbing his eyes. Madam Pomfrey noticed and rushed over to him, checking his vitals again. 

"Well, you seem to be doing just fine. You're free to go Mister Potter. However, if you keep ending up in here, we may be on a first name basis soon!" 

Harry chuckled slightly at that, and got up. He made sure he had his bag and headed down to the Quidditch Pitch to wait for everyone. Based on the time, Malfoy should be there soon. He grabbed his broom, deciding to fly for a bit to kill time. He was just mounting it when a voice by his ear startled him. 

"He's coming. I passed him on my way down. You will have to save your flying for later." Parkinson was grinning. "Also, for the time being, call me Pansy. I think it will throw Draco off enough for him to lower his guard. Blaise is walking down with him."

Harry nodded. "Do I call him by Blaise or Zabini?"

"Whichever works better. Oh, look! There they are!" She stood on her tiptoes, waving to them, despite the fact that she was standing in the middle of an empty pitch and they could see her just fine without the extra height. She waved them over, and grinned. 

Malfoy did a double take when he saw Harry standing next to Pansy. "Potter? What are you doing here? I thought you were in the hospital wing?" His eyes darted to everyone present. "What's going on here?"

It was Harry who spoke first. "Draco, this is an intervention. I noticed you had an addiction, I asked Pansy for help. She and Blaise agreed to help me help you." His voice was confident.

"Draco, you have a serious apple addiction. Harry pointed it out to me. You always have an apple on you. Normally that wouldn't be too bad, but you've started taking all of them for yourself. None of the other students can have any because of your problem." Pansy's voice rang out, stern.

"I don't have any apples on me this time! See!" He held his hands out. He thought he got away with the lie until Blaise opened his bag. 

"I see at least four apples in here. You're lying about it, which proves you have a problem. Draco, we are here to help you. Even Harry was worried." Blaise stated simply. 

"Wait... How did Harry even notice when you didn't?? You sit with me every day!" Draco shifted the attention to Harry. He had just started noticing everyone was using each others first names and it was throwing him off.

"I... may have been observing you?" It nearly sounded like a question, the way he said it. His face was tinged with red. "After a while I started noticing it. I started getting worried when I realized it had gotten to the point where there were literally no apples left in the castle. I even checked the kitchens."

Draco looked at all the sincere faces around him. He knew he had a problem, he just didn't know why Harry cared. "Fine. I have a problem. I've become obsessed with apples for some reason. I will quit taking so many. I will cut back to three a day. That way there will be enough for everyone else. Does that work?"

Everyone else nodded. "We're here to help you, first by confiscating those apples. You can keep one." Blaise stated. Rolling his eyes at Draco's groan, he opened his bag and tossed an apple to everyone. "Hope this apple was worth waiting for, Harry." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They all walked back to the castle together, laughing and joking as if they never hated each other. They didn't know why they hated each other in the first place. Pansy was awesome, and she wasn't afraid to call anybody out. Blaise was quieter, but he was calculating. He was the voice of reason. And Draco was... Draco. He was a quiet flame that burns brighter in the face of the wind, full of life. And he was beautiful, not that Harry would ever admit thinking that. He had to remind himself he was just in it for the apples, which he had to admit were absolutely worth the wait. He could understand Draco's obsession after eating one. When they reached the Great Hall, they nodded once to each other, a solemn but silent promise that they would hang out again at some point, because despite the fact they spent a few years hating each other they all fit together well and enjoyed themselves. They went their separate ways, Harry to the Gryffindor table, and the trio to the Slytherin. 

Harry sat down next to Neville, noticing him alone. Hermione and Ron had each other, right now Neville needed someone. "Hello Neville. Mind if I join you?" Harry noticed something about Neville was off, he wasn't as full of life as he normally was. Harry gently touched his shoulder, and Neville jumped and fell off the bench, his eyes wide and full of fear. Harry quickly helped him up, understanding. He was positive Neville was abused. It showed in his eyes. Harry was sure his were the exact same, if only someone cared to look deep enough into them. "Neville. Are you alright?" 

Neville managed a weak nod. "I'm fine. Just... It's nothing. I'm fine." Neville caught himself, mentally berating himself for almost telling him. They made him swear not to tell. 

Harry sighed in understanding. "Neville, if you ever need anyone to talk to I'm here. It doesn't matter if I'm with Ron or Hermione or anyone else. You're more important than them. You can trust me. I know what you're going through." After that, there was a heavy silence. 

Neville took a deep breath. "Thank you Harry. That means a lot to me." He gave a weak, sad smile. "Are you okay after what happened in Potions? I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to mess up."

"Relax Neville, I'm perfectly fine. I just got to rest instead of go to class. No big deal. I am in there all the time. Just next time, make sure to double check the ingredients. I don't want anyone else getting hurt, I'm used to it." The truth was, Harry was actually hurting. His back hurt from where he took the blast. He just didn't want Madam Pomfrey fussing over him, and he definitely did not want her looking at his back. That's the one thing she never saw, because if she did, she would know. No one could know. There was only two people in this room other than him that knew... Neville... and Dumbledore. He looked up and met his icy gaze. Slowly looking away, his sights rested upon the group of Slytherins. He had to admit they were amazing people to have around. He just hoped they would stay around. Sighing, he got up and left the Great Hall, and headed up to the dormitory, mumbling the password. "Briarwood." The portrait opened and he climbed into the common room. Climbing the stairs, he walked into the dormitory to find it empty. He crawled into bed, hoping the dreams wouldn't come back. However, he was not so lucky. The moment he fell asleep, it all started.


	3. The Midnight Meeting

Harry was kneeling on the floor, his uncle behind him. He heard the whoosh of air as the whip cut through it, landing with a harsh snap on his back. He hissed, knowing screaming only made it worse. Vernon was specifically focusing on the areas that were bruised from Dudley pushing him down the stairs the day before. The whip hit him again, causing him to bite his lip and the metallic taste of blood to flood his mouth. His vision was getting dark from the pain, and he knew he was going to pass out soon.

"This is what you deserve for being a freak, boy. I'm going to beat this out of you. Then you can stay around and be my toy forever because they won't want you if you aren't a freak." Vernon's voice was sickening, and he hit Harry harder. "They don't want you now, but they are stuck with you, just like I am."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Panting, Harry woke up, doused in sweat. His back was on fire, and he wasn't entirely sure that the gashes weren't bleeding. He stood up and grabbed his invisibility cloak, intending on walking until he didn't think about it anymore. He snuck out of the dorm and walked out the door. The Fat Lady was familiar with his nighttime wanderings. 

"Nightmares again? Be careful, Filch was seen in this area a little bit ago." She bid him farewell as he left. She had begun to grow fond of him, as he almost always chatted with her.

Harry vaguely considered going down to visit Hagrid, but he realized the doors to the castle were most likely locked at this time. He ended up just letting himself wander, ending up somewhere in the dungeons. Looking around, he realized he was lost. "Bugger. This isn't good. I'm glad I'm wearing my cloak." 

Behind him, a familiar voice sounded. "Who's there?" 

Harry turned to look into the eyes of Draco Malfoy. He quickly took off the cloak. "Just me."

It was obvious Draco was confused. "Harry, what are you doing down here by the Slytherin dormitories, let alone at this time?"

"I just needed... some air." Harry tried his best to sound convincing but he noticed a flicker of concern flash in Draco's eyes. 

"Come on, let's go down to the kitchen. My old house elf Dobby is in there! He can get us something to eat." Draco began leading the way down to the painting.

"Wait a minute, Draco. What are you doing out so late?" Harry stopped following.

"I couldn't sleep and decided something to eat might help." Draco shrugged. "It happens."

Harry nodded and proceeded to follow Draco. They stopped in front of a painting of a bowl of fruit. Draco reached up, and proceeded to tickle the pear, causing it to turn into a door handle. They walked in, and paused. 

"Dobby?" Draco's voice rang out in the empty kitchen. With a loud pop, the long eared house elf was right next to them. 

"Master Draco? Oh! And Master Harry! What can I be doing for the two of you?" Dobby swept into a deep bow, nearly reaching the the floor. 

"Can you just bring us some snacks please? Something warm and comforting would be nice." Draco's voice was kind, and Harry nearly did a double take. Draco being nice to someone beneath him was almost unheard of... at least that's what everyone said.

"Oh yes! I can do that." With a loud pop, Dobby vanished. 

"Can we sit down? I must have been walking for a while, my legs are sore." Harry gave a wary smile. 

"Of course! I nearly forgot, sorry Harry." He grabbed Harry's hand and practically dragged him over to a table in the corner. "How long have you been walking?" 

"I'm not sure. I just walked around the castle, and ended up lost in the dungeon." Harry was blushing, Draco had forgotten to let go of his hand. "Er... Draco?"

"Oops! I'm sorry." He quickly retracted his hand, a pink tinge across his cheeks. The awkward silence only lasted a moment, before there was a loud pop right next to them. 

"Dobby has brought you all fresh cookies and milk! If you need anything else just ask Dobby!" 

"Thank you, Dobby. The cookies look wonderful." Harry gave a smile to the house elf who beamed with pride before vanishing.

"They do look good." Draco smiled before grabbing one, but his thoughts were more troubled. He knew something was going on with Harry, but he wasn't sure if he should ask. They hadn't been friends for very long. He took a sip of the milk, deep in thought. 

"Are you okay Draco?" Harry asked. He had been quiet for too long, staring at nothing. Harry had started to get worried. 

"Yes, I was just thinking. Harry, can I ask you something?" 

A sense of dread filled Harry's stomach. Draco knew. "Sure."

"What is the real reason you were out walking?" Draco leaned in, looking into Harry's eyes. 

Harry sighed, knowing he had no escape. "I had a bad dream, and when I woke up I just needed out. Walking helps me forget." He pushed himself further into the chair, trying to avoid Draco's gaze.

"What was your dream about Harry? Maybe talking about it will help." Draco had a small feeling of uneasiness that grew when he saw Harry trying to avoid his gaze. He knew something was wrong. 

"I can't tell you Draco. They will kill me." Harry's eyes widened and he covered his mouth. That last sentence alone was enough to let Draco know what was going on. Draco's eyes darkened, and he raised his hand, causing Harry to flinch and fall out of the chair. "P-please don't hurt me! I didn't mean to! I'm sorry!" His eyes were full of tears. 

Draco kneeled next to him. "I'm sorry Harry, I should've thought. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise." He slowly raised his hand, watching Harry for reactions. Harry stiffened, until he felt a gentle touch on the top of his head. Draco ran his fingers absentmindedly through the boy's hair. 

Harry blushed, never having felt that kind of affection before. He soaked it up. It made him feel safe. He slowly opened his eyes, only to see Draco's looking at him. He smiled a kind smile. 

"C'mon Harry. Let's get you back to your common room." He stood up and held out his hand to help Harry up. He had noticed Harry was acting a bit different then normal, like he was younger. Harry took his hand and stood up, but didn't let go. Draco didn't mind. The duo quietly left the kitchen, slowly walking to the Fat Lady's portrait. When they arrived, Harry said the password and climbed inside the hole. 

"Wait! You don't have any way of not being seen!" Harry looked worried, but Draco just smiled. 

"Don't worry, I will be fine. You go to bed. I will see you tomorrow." With that Draco left, walking down to the dungeons. He was turning the corner when he ran face to face into the person he was looking for. "Hello godfather. I need to talk to you."


	4. Head of the Snakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna be honest. I was never expecting people to like this. I was just writing for something to do. It makes me so happy to have people enjoy this. Thank you for reading!!

Snape nodded. "Follow me to my room, Draco. I don't believe we should have any chance of eavesdroppers in there." He strode quickly, Draco practically running behind him, before stopping abruptly at a portrait. "Lily." A hidden door opened and he slipped inside, making sure Draco got in before shutting the door. "Talk."

"I was talking to Harry, I found him wandering out late at night, looking really upset. It took him a while but he told me what was going on... well, technically he didn't say anything. He was too scared. He gets abused at home. Badly. He told me that they would kill him if he said anything. After that, he started acting different. Younger. It made me worried." Draco looked down. "I tried to stroke his hair to calm him down but he got really scared, and that's when I really knew. He started begging me not to hurt him, saying he was sorry. Please, you have to get him out of there." Draco's eyes glistened with tears, and he wiped them away angrily. 

"I will talk to Professor Dumbledore in the morning. He will do something about it." Despite him saying that, a heavy doubt settled across his features. He knew Dumbledore had checked up on Harry. "Draco, I want you to go back to your dormitory and try to rest for a few more hours. The moment the sun comes up, I'm going to speak to the Headmaster." 

Draco stood up and turned to leave but a sudden thought struck him. "What if he already knows? What if he knows and he left Harry there to suffer?" 

Snape's voice was hard. "Then I take matters into my own hands." 

Draco understood the dismissal. "Goodnight." He returned to his bed, leaving Snape simmering in thoughts until daybreak. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Severus Snape stood up, and walked out of his room, headed straight to the Headmaster's office. He knew something had been wrong with the old man, but now he had proof. He was sitting by, knowingly letting a child get abused. As he approached the door, he started getting more and more furious. "Sugar Quill." As the staircase forms, he climbed to the top, knocking forcefully on the door. 

"Enter." Albus Dumbledore peered over the top of his half moon spectacles, wondering who it was this early in the morning. He was surprised when it was Severus, not Harry begging to get out of the household he lived in. 

"It has come to my knowledge that Harry Potter has been abused by his family." His voice was blunt, and his eyes icy. "What are you going to do about that."

"Severus, my boy. It is for the greater good. The child must know suffering in order to become strong. You, of all people, should know that." Dumbledore reached out an almost pleading hand, as if he was expecting Severus to just go along with it. 

"I cannot believe you! I'm not going to stand for this. You're supposed to be the leader of the light, but you are worse than the Dark Lord! Since it has been made apparent that you cannot be trusted, I will be taking matters into my own hands. But first, how long have you known. How long have you known that this boy has been treated that way?"

Dumbledore's eyes held a twinkle in them. "My boy, I've always known." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Severus walked briskly to the Gryffindor common room. He caught a glimpse of Harry slipping through the portrait on his way to his classes. "Mister Potter, a word with you please. In my office. Any and all classes you miss will be excused." 

Harry cast a wary glance to those around him, who smiled sympathetically. He then followed the professor, who surprisingly was walking slow enough for him to keep up. Harry studied his face. He looked tense, and Harry was immediately on guard. The worst attacks came when Uncle Vernon had a rough day. His hand clenched on his wand. 

"Do not worry. I will not attack you. I promise. Follow me in here." He had stopped at the door to his office, holding it open for Harry, who walked in as if approaching his death. He waited until Harry had sat down before he started. "Potter, It has come to my knowledge that you have been abused at home. I want you to know that your family cannot hurt you in this castle, so you need not be afraid of anything said here. If they try to hurt you, I will protect you. I wish for you to tell me what happened. Take your time. I have calming droughts if you need one." 

Harry stiffened in his seat. He had no idea how his professor had found out, but some weird feeling inside of him told him he could trust the man. He took a deep breath and began. "My family began starving me from the moment I was under their care. When I was three, the beatings began. I would get beat if I burnt the food, if I talked, if I asked questions, when I wet the cot, and if I made any noise. He started training Dudley to beat me too. When I turned five, my uncle decided that beating me wasn't enough. That was when he introduced me to the whip. He would beat me with that whip whenever I messed up." Harry paused as a shiver of pain ran up his spine. "I messed up often. Nearly every day I would get whipped, sometimes even multiple times a day. I learned quickly to be silent. If I made noise, it would get worse. When I was seven, he raped me. He continued with the beating and the rape up until I went to Hogwarts. I remember in first year, I had begged Dumbledore to let me leave. He told me I had to stay for the greater good. I gave up asking for help from anyone. When uncle Vernon had found out somehow, he beat me worse than before. He poured bleach on my back. I ended up horribly sick but he wouldn't let me go to the hospital. I made it until I got here, and had Madam Pomfrey fix me. She doesn't know what really happened. The only people that know here are Neville, you, and Dumbledore. I'm not sure if Draco knows... He probably figured it out." Harry relaxed back in his seat, signalling the end.

Severus was close to killing someone. He took a deep breath, he needed to be calm for Harry's sake. "Harry, can you please show me your back? I won't hurt you, I promise." 

Harry figured that was coming, so he quickly removed his shirt, showing him the massive amount of scars and cuts, some still fresh. "They really hurt a lot of the time. I wear glamours to cover up the problems that my clothing doesn't cover." He waved his wand, breaking down the complicated glamours, letting Snape see the real damage.

Snape watched as the already short child, shrunk, becoming painfully skinny and small. He wouldn't even compare in size to an eight year old. More scars formed on his skin, all over, and of varying depths and widths. He almost had to turn away. This child was so broken, and everybody had turned their backs on him. "Harry, you can go ahead and put your shirt back on. I want to talk to you a bit more." 

Harry slipped his shirt on, wincing when it hit his back. He sat back down, not bothering to reapply the glamours. "Okay Professor. I'm listening."

"Harry, you shall never be going back to that house. I promise. I have an idea to keep you from going back, but only if you're comfortable with it." He waited for Harry's nod before continuing. "Harry, I want to adopt you."


	5. Worth it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this one is a bit later than normal. I'm going through a rough patch in my life at the moment. I hope you enjoy the update.

Harry gaped at his professor. Surely he was delirious. "Snape, did someone slip a delirium potion into your morning tea?" 

Snape studied Harry for a moment. "No. This offer is entirely serious. I want to adopt you. I don't want you to go back to that house. Ever."

"But, professor, I'm a freak. No one wants me." Harry kept persisting. "No one will ever want me. That's just the way things are." He looked down, his eyes starting to tear up. "It's the way things will always be."

Snape stood up and strode to the small boy, wrapping his arm around him and pulling him into a hug. He knew he wasn't technically his son yet, but he had a surge of affection towards the small child. "Harry, I promise that isn't true." Harry turned his face into the robes of his professor, clinging on to him. "I want you. I don't ever want you to be hurt again." 

"But what 'bout when I'm not useful no more?" Harry turned his wide emerald eyes toward his professor. "When I get 'nnoying and too much work?" 

"Harry, you will never be too much work. You need to actually be able to be a child, and live life happily. And it doesn't matter if you're annoying. You will still be my son. That is, if you say yes." 

Harry paused and thought about it. "If I say yes, does that mean I never gotta go back there?" 

"Yes. You won't have to go back there ever."

Harry mulled that over. "Okay! Does this mean I have a dad now?" He grinned, his tears drying up quickly.

"Yes it does Harry. We just have to go make it official. I have a few friends that can go around Dumbledore's head for this. Then you will be my son." He spared a small smile for him. This boy had been through so much, and he had no one he could turn to. He was grateful for Draco bringing this to his attention. "Come on. Do you want to leave the glamours off or have me put them back on?" 

Harry stood up. "Off. I don't gotta hide anymore." He smiled at Snape. "Lets go!! I'm gonna have a family!" He grabbed Snape's hand. "How are we getting to the Ministry?" 

"Harry, have you used floo powder before?" Snape turned to look to the boy, who was still clutching his hand. 

"Yeah! Mr. and Mrs. Weasley took me last summer to Diagon Alley through the floo! I got lost..." He messed up his hair sheepishly. 

"Okay, well how about this time I will pick you up so we both can go at the same time, and neither of us get lost?" 

"Really?? We can do that?" Harry practically began jumping up and down with excitement. 

Snape let out a small chuckle at his soon-to-be son's antics. He swiftly picket up the boy, settling him on his hip. He frowned slightly, noticing his weight. After the change of guardianship, this boy was going to Mungos. He weighed about the same as a five year old child. Considering he was thirteen, that was horrible. "You ready Harry? Hold on tight, don't let go." He walked over to the fireplace, and threw a handful of the glittering powder into the fireplace. "Ministry of Magic." With a whoosh, they both were swept away, landing in the immaculate building. Snape set Harry down, ignoring his protests. "I've gotta put you down. You can still hold my hand if you want to." Thinking to himself, he actually thought that would be a good idea. He wasn't sure who to trust here. Anyone could try to snatch Harry and get away with it. "Now, Lucius said he was on second floor. After we meet up with him, we will go to the fourth floor, okay?" 

Harry nodded, hardly believing he was going to have a dad soon. He grabbed Snape's hand, grinning. "Let's go!" 

Snape quickly walked to the elevator, pressing the button for the second floor. As they descended lower, people got on. Finally a cool, female voice spoke. "Ministry of Magic, Level Two. Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Snape led Harry out of the elevator, seeking out a blond head in the crowd.

"Ooh! There he is! I see him!" Harry was grinning with excitement, pulling Snape right after him. He stopped right before crashing into the tall man. "Hello Mister!!"

Snape turned to Lucius. "Sorry about that. He's really excited today. He's also acting a bit younger than normal... I think I'm gonna have to ask the healers about that to figure out if it's normal." He turned to Harry. "Harry, Lucius is one of the good guys. So if you ever need something and can't get to me, go to him."

"Okay! C'mon! We gotta go to the fourth level now!" Harry grabbed Lucius's hand as well. 

Lucius turned to look at Snape with an amused yet worried smile. "Are you sure he's actually thirteen? He's so small, and he definitely does not look thirteen. He barely would pass for eight, and even eight is a stretch." 

Snape's expression darkened and he nodded. "I'm positive." He then began leading the group towards the elevator. Briefly he wondered what the trio looked like to all who could see them. The terrifying potions professor holding the hand of a small child who is dragging along the intimidating Lucius Malfoy. He had to suppress a small bit of laughter before they got in the elevator. Turning to Lucius, he raised his eyebrow. It was obvious that Lucius had the same thought he did. 

"What's with all the looks?" Harry looked up at the adults curiously. 

"Nothing to bother yourself with." Lucius gave the boy a small smile.

As Harry was about to protest, the cool female voice spoke. "Ministry of Magic, Level Four. Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures." 

Lucius quickly maneuvered them out. "The Being division should be just around the corner. That is where we are going to get everything set in place. I can pull some strings and make it impossible for Dumbledore to meddle in this. Trust me, he will try. At this point, we shouldn't trust anyone on the supposed light side." The group turned a corner and knocked on a door titled Wizarding Adoption Services. He walked inside after hearing a quiet greeting. "Hello Madam Parkinson. I need your help. Severus here would like to adopt Harry Potter. He had discovered the boy was horribly abused and Dumbledore knew that all along."

The woman looked around the room. "Where is he? I expected you would have brought Harry Potter along since this involves him." Her eyes rested on Harry for a moment. "Don't tell me this is him..." Noting the silence, she gripped her quill tightly, almost to the point of breakage. "What did they do to the poor child?!"

Snape sighed. "They beat him, starved him, and raped him from a very young age. You see why we can't let this continue. The only reason it took this long for anyone else to notice was because he kept glamours up. I've also noticed he has a mental age regression at points. Dumbledore has known about the abuse from the start, yet he refused to do anything. We need to rush this adoption through and use protective measures to keep Dumbledore from being able to interfere. We are certain he will try to meddle with this if he can. Lucius said that you were our best bet on getting this done quickly and quietly."

"Well, he's certainly right about that." She pulled some parchment forms out from a desk. "This is the form you need to sign in order to get him under your guardianship immediately. Normally there would be a period of time in between, but we can't risk that. I will give my seal of approval to force this through right away." She handed Snape the forms and a quill.

After Snape filled out the forms, both he and Harry were required to sign them. As Harry finished his signature, a small flurry of blue sparks swirled around them, signalling it official. 

Madam Parkinson turned to Harry and smiled. "Harry, you're now safe. Your father will protect you." Turning to Snape, she spoke. "I would recommend taking him to Mungos to see how bad the damage is. He appears to have gotten back to his actual age for the time being, so now would be a great time to do it. I'm going to go ahead and set up a few protection spells to prevent Dumbledore from meddling like he always does. You are free to go."

Snape bowed. "Thank you so much. We both are incredibly grateful for this. I actually had planned on taking him to Mungos. We will head out now." Turning to Lucius he smiled. "Thank you Lucius. I don't know what I would have done without your help." Both he and Harry left the room, headed straight to the fireplaces. "Harry, do you want to go by yourself?"

Harry shook his head vigorously, causing Snape to chuckle slightly. 

"Okay Harry. Come here." He grabbed his hand and led him into the fireplace. Taking a handful of floo powder, he tossed it into the fire. "Saint Mungos." With a whoosh of fire, they were swept away from the Ministry.


	6. Not Broken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dang, this chapter took forever! Sorry about that! I had a lot going on. Finally got out of the depressive slump I was in, but then I ended up bursting a tendon in my foot that I had surgery in, and was in a lot of pain and just wanted to sleep. I'm currently working on the deage Harry Potter/Neville Longbottom fanfic I've been dreaming about. I will be posting the first chapter of that soon! My birthday is on July 21st and my next surgery is on the 3rd of August, so there will be a small lapse in the hopefully more common updates. Thanks for taking the time to read this, I hope you enjoy!

Snape led Harry out of the fireplace, heading straight towards the desk. He quickly checked a sign on top of it, but not finding what he was looking for. He turned towards the woman. "We need to see a mind healer and a regular healer as well. I just adopted my son out of an abusive household and want to assess the damage, but I don't seem to see which floor that is on." The receptionist nodded briskly, and consulted a chart next to her.

"The mind healers appear to be on the fourth floor. I should make a note to put on the sign for future reference. Thank you for bringing that to my attention, sir. Have a nice day!"

Snape and Harry walked away from her, headed towards the elevator. Harry hesitated. "Hey dad? Can I press the button?"

Snape had to hide a small smile. "Of course Harry. Fourth floor."

Harry grinned and pressed the button, laughing slightly at the noise it made. The elevator slowly rose, and Harry started to grow worried. "Dad, what if they can't fix me?" 

Snape turned to look at his son, worry creased between his brows. "You aren't broken, Harry."

"But dad, you said you wanted to assess the damage." Harry turned, avoiding looking at his father.

"Yes, I do. Harry, just because you have damage, doesn't mean you're damaged or broken. It just makes you unique and wonderful. Even after everything you've gone through, you managed to trust new people. You aren't broken Harry. You never have been." Snape rested his arm gently on Harry's shoulder. "After this, would you like to go visit your parents' grave?" 

Harry looked up quickly, the shock of that question on his face. "You'd really take me? Aunt Petunia never let me know anything about my parents, let alone take me to see their graves."

"Harry, I want you to understand that I will never be like them. I will never raise my hand to you in anger or frustration. I will never harm you in any way." Before Snape could say anything else, the cool female voice was heard, announcing their arrival to the fourth floor. "Come on Harry, this is us." 

Harry followed Snape out of the elevator, sticking close by. He was worried that Dumbledore was going to show up at any moment and declare he go back to the Dursley's care, if it could be called that. He followed Snape up to a desk, waiting silently but alertly. 

"Hello. I was wondering where the mind healer that specializes in abuse cases is located. I just adopted my son and he was abused pretty badly in his previous household." The male at the desk nodded, his eyes passing over Harry. 

"You will want to go to Philip Saxton. He's just down the hall two doors to your left. He will be expecting you." He raised his wand, sending a patronus to alert the healer of his new patient. "I hope everything turns out well. He's great at what he does. Your son is in great care, I assure you." He gave a small smile towards the duo, and they began walking down the hall.

The two quickly reached the door they were told to go to. Snape reached out his hand, but before he could knock, the door swung open. 

"Please, enter." A calm voice came from within the room. 

Snape led Harry into the room, sitting him down in a comfy chair in front of the man. "My name is Severus Snape, and this is Harry Snape. I just adopted him today. He was from an abusive household and we want to assess the mental damage done." Snape continued standing.

"I see." Saxton turned to Harry. "Do you mind telling me what happened in that place?"

Harry turned to Snape for reassurance. Upon seeing that he was still there, he turned back to the mind healer. "My parents were killed when I was a baby. I was put in my aunt and uncle's care, if you could call it that. Food was withheld from me from the beginning. My Uncle Vernon started beating me when I was three. He started teaching my cousin Dudley to beat me too. That continued until I was five, when he decided that it wasn't enough. He got a whip and would whip me if I messed up, which I did often. I would be whipped multiple times a day sometimes. I learned quickly that if I made any noise during the punishments that they would get much worse. When I was seven... my uncle raped me." Harry paused, clenching his fists. "All of that continued up until Hogwarts. Towards the end of my first year, I asked... er... begged Dumbledore to let me leave my aunt and uncle's forever. He told me he had to stay there for the greater good, whatever that meant. When I had gone home my uncle somehow knew I had asked for help from someone, and I got beat so much worse than before. He had poured bleach on my back. I got sick, but never got taken to the hospital, because then they would've known. I somehow managed to make it back to the school alive, but I was in bad condition. Madam Pomfrey fixed me up. She doesn't know what actually happened. I had to lie to her. The summer after my second year wasn't much worse than normal, because I left early. My uncle's sister visited, and she had insulted my parents. I accidentally blew her up... I ran because I was afraid of what would happen to me if I stayed." Harry paused, thinking. "I think that is the basics. Oh, most of the whipping was done to my back."

Saxton stood up and walked over towards him. "Harry, can I see your back please? I won't touch it, I just want to see how bad the damage is." 

Harry stood up and removed his shirt carefully, trying not to aggravate the raw skin. "They still hurt."

Saxton examined the lash marks quietly. "Harry, when was the last time you were beat?" 

"Er... I think it was the night I ran away. Why?" 

"Some of them are bleeding." He walked over towards his desk and pulled out two vials of a potion, one blue and one magenta, as well as a pot of a strange green substance. "Okay Harry, right here I have a few potions. The blue one is a pain relieving potion, and the magenta is a potion that will allow me to view the abuse while keeping your mind elsewhere, so you don't have to see it when I'm there." He gave Harry the blue potion. "Best take that now, I'm going to clean and heal up the gashes on your back to avoid any infections." 

Harry quickly downed the potion, grimacing at the taste. "Why can't they taste better?" 

Both of the grown men chuckled at that. Saxton opened up the pot and grabbed a bit of cotton, dipping it into the substance. "Okay, deep breath Harry. This will hurt a little." He waited for Harry's nod of consent before gently dabbing the medicine onto his wounds. Harry visibly tensed up underneath him, but not a sound was heard. Saxton frowned but kept his mind on his task. He knew Harry was being quiet due to his upbringing. He personally knew it wasn't pleasant, and it did hurt a bit. "Okay Harry. All done."

"That wasn't bad at all." Harry's voice was loud throughout the quiet room. "Do you want me to take the other potion now?"

"One second Harry. Let me grab the one that allows me to enter your mind." Saxton rummaged through the desk, coming up with a dark brown potion. "Here we are. Do I have both of your consent for this?" He turned to the duo. Upon receiving nods from them, he gestured to Harry. "Go ahead and drink that. It doesn't taste pleasant unfortunately, so best to get it down in one go."

Harry sat down and quickly drank the potion, coughing slightly. After about three seconds, he slumped against the chair he was seated in. 

Saxton sat down behind his desk, and quickly drained the vial of the contents. Immediately the room began turning black. The room disappeared, and in front of him, a new scenery began to form.


	7. A Trip to the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG!! It's been a hectic few months! After that surgery I got in a couple abusive relationships (I wasn't allowed to do anything other than talk to them), got extremely sick, PTSD started acting up and I couldn't write about abuse, and two days ago I got rear-ended and sprained my hip and shoulder! It still really hurts to type because of my shoulder but I was desperate and wanted to update! To be honest, writing abuse still really makes my PTSD act up but I needed to for the story. (My boyfriend got upset that I forced myself to do it tbh). Don't worry guys, this boyfriend is amazing. Thanks everyone for the support! It means a lot to me. Also, sorry it's so short!

Saxton watched the scene unfold in front of him. A small raven haired child was scrubbing the floors in the kitchen, while an enormous man surveyed his work. 

The man slowly started to smirk. He threw down his mug, making it shatter on the floor right next to the child. "Freak! You missed a spot." He leaned down next to the child, his face scarily close. "Clean it up, freak." 

The child looked at the whale of the man, terrified beyond all belief. "Yes sir!" Visibly shaking, the small boy moved his rag over to the mess made by the person Saxton assumed must be his uncle. However, as his rag moved over the shattered ceramic, the boy got cut, but made no sound. Without even showing any sign of pain, the boy picked up the rest of the ceramic, depositing it in the nearest trashcan. He quietly returned to the mess, finishing cleaning it up, a small amount of his blood mixing in with the liquid from inside the cup. The boy then peered up at the behemoth of a man, his eyes dead, but also seeking approval that he doubted he would ever receive. 

The giant man gave a slight nod, out of things to make a mess with. "Its decent, freak. Now get out of my sight!" With that final word, he aimed a kick at the child's rib cage. "Go on then! Get out of here!"

The child scrambled to his feet, running to a door under the staircase. He quickly pulled it open, before throwing himself on his cot, obviously fearing a beating. 

Saxton looked around the tiny cupboard, investigating what appeared to be the small child's living space. All that was in the room was a tiny bed, and approximately 17 spiders. He shuddered slightly. How anyone could live in this space, he didn't know. His thoughts were interrupted by the cupboard door slamming open. 

Pure terror flooded the child's face. Saxton looked up into the enormous purple face of the man he finally figured was Vernon Dursley. 

The second the man was in the room, he threw a punch directly at the child's head. There was a sickening crunch, showing the man had made his mark. Still though, the child refused to make a single sound. Already he was bruising, his right cheek turning an ugly purple. Still though, the man wasn't done. In a second, the child was pinned against a wall, a giant hand wrapped around his throat. The monster, Harry's uncle, ripped his shirt off, revealing a series of gruesome cuts across the child's back, most of which looked infected. Vernon made a small noise of approval, and threw the child back down on the ground. "You deserve this, you freak. You deserve every second of this, and so much more. You're going to be my puppet, my slave. You'll never be free from me." With those ominous words, he left the room.

Saxton, who had witnessed the entire scene, was as pale as a ghost. He knew Harry had gone through so much more than this, but this scene sickened him. Harry was slumped on the floor, a sickly green color. Saxton peered closer, and noticed how dead inside he had seemed. There was no life left in those eyes, no more fight. It was as if all hope had been sucked out of the child. Knowing the horrific memory was over, he drank a grey potion he had stored in his pocket, pulling him back into the present.


	8. Draco's Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I'm still alive, surprisingly! I'm just horrible at updating, a lot has been going on. I no longer have a boyfriend, I have a fiance! Moving in with him soon, so I won't be around much. I love you all, and hope that you all will give me time to write a new chapter! Sorry my updates are all over the place!

Draco paced endlessly around his dormitory, wondering what happened to Harry. Blaise, who had long given up on trying to get any information out of the boy, watched with slight frustration. 

"Draco, stop pacing! Do you really think that will help Harry?" Blaise's voice rang out in the otherwise quiet room, apart from Draco's shoes hitting the floor.

"I don't know Blaise! I just know I'm worried! I'm nearly positive Dumbledore knows about what is going on and he just lets it happen!" Draco's anguished voice cracked on the last word, and it became painfully clear to Blaise that Draco was fighting tears.

Blaise stood and walked to his friend, who had frozen in his tracks upon realizing his voice had betrayed him. He swiftly hugged him, and felt Draco break down. Within seconds, Blaise's shirt was soaked with Draco's tears. "Draco, can you please tell me what's going on? I've never seen you this worried."

It took a few moments, but Draco gave a stiff nod, and moved away from his friend, tears still glistening in his silver blue eyes. "Harry was being abused at his muggle family's home. I told my godfather because I just couldn't let him stay there any longer. I've never seen anything like it. He kept saying that they would kill him because I found out. Blaise, you can't tell anyone." Draco looked at Blaise with pleading eyes.

"I won't tell anyone. You told Snape, correct?" Upon receiving a brisk nod from Draco, Blaise continued. "I trust that your godfather will do everything he can to keep Harry safe." Blaise paused, thinking. He was filled with a rage he'd never felt before. However, he knew he had to be calm. He wouldn't stand for abuse in any situation. Blaise agreed with Draco, the headmaster knew everything, which means he knew about what was happening to Harry. He turned towards Draco and took a breath. "What's the plan Draco?"

Draco stood in shock. He wasn't entirely sure he heard Blaise correctly. Normally, Blaise was the one to make the plans. He knew his godfather would protect Harry as well as he could, but Harry needed protection outside of potions classes. That was where his plan came in. Harry would never be without either him, Blaise, Pansy, once she was told, or Severus. He would have protection no matter what, in case someone at the school tried to attack. He doubted an attack would happen, but it was best to be prepared. He quickly explained his plan to Blaise, and was met with approval. They wouldn't leave Harry alone with the headmaster either, as he had proven he couldn't be trusted. 

Blaise stood, and headed for the dormitory door to seek Pansy out. Draco quickly followed behind him, but unexpectedly ran straight into Blaise, who had paused in front of Pansy. Blaise grabbed Pansy's hand, and pulled her into the dormitory, with Draco groaning slightly, following in pursuit. "Pansy. We need to tell you something about Harry."

"Harry's being abused, isn't he?" Pansy's words were abrupt and sharp, leaving stunned silence in their wake.

"How'd you know? He did so much to avoid being found out." Draco stared at her in stunned awe. 

Pansy turned a shade of pink and looked away sheepishly. "I was headed to ask Professor Snape for some help in the potions work this morning and I heard him talking to Harry. It made sense though. I honestly wasn't too surprised."

Draco and Blaise looked at each other in awe, then turned back to their friend. Draco quickly told her the plan, and she nodded firmly. "Are we all in agreement? We're going to protect Harry from the so called light side." Upon receiving another nod, Draco grimaced. "I just wish we didn't need to protect him."

Pansy stood and bid the others a farewell, as she had a little bit of homework left to complete, and ran to her dormitory, leaving the boys in an uncomfortable silence. They were both certain she had actually left because she was about to cry. Pansy may appear blunt and heartless, but they knew she cared deeply about all of her friends, and Harry had quickly made his place as one. 

Draco stood and made his way to the door, intending on wandering around until he ran into his godfather. He quickly slipped out and into the common room, vowing he'd make the old man pay for all that he watched Harry go through. Nothing would hurt Harry ever again, not if Draco could help it.


	9. Visiting Godric's Hollow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, that took forever! Been a busy year! Got married, came out as trans after literal years in denial, moved back to Oklahoma, and now things have finally settled down. I'm sorry it took so long, but I should hopefully be able to update more often! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I love you all!

Harry opened his eyes, looking around. It took him a moment to realize what had happened. Staying quiet, he looked towards Saxton who appeared to be waking up as well. He looked visibly shaken, and quite pale.

Saxton took a moment to compose himself. He put his wand to his temple, extracting a silvery string of memory, placing it into a labeled glass vial. He then put it away in a case on his desk that was labelled for Harry. Turning to the duo again, he took a deep breath. "I'm glad you're out of there now. Mister Snape, there was concerns about the age regression?" Upon receiving Severus's stiff nod, Saxton continued. "It's perfectly normal in abuse cases. It's a coping mechanism. Chances are, it will stop after therapy, but there is a chance it won't, which is also normal. There is nothing wrong with it. I promise. It is possible his mental age will fluctuate a lot, finding an age he feels safe at. Don't be surprised." 

Severus released a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Are you quite positive he's going to be okay?"

Saxton swiftly nodded. "Provided he doesn't live with them anymore, his healing should begin quickly. Now, it is possible something might trigger him, and cause him to regress rapidly and be terrified. In those instances, it is best to identify the triggers and prevent it from happening again, as best as possible. To calm him down during that, get him to a safe place. Nowhere too enclosed, as his abuse involved a cupboard, but somewhere cozy that he knows is his safe space."

Severus turned to look at Harry briefly, who was kicking his feet absentmindedly. "And what if we can't calm him down quickly?"

"A calming drought will be useful. If all else fails, send an owl to fetch me and I will try my hardest to get over there to help him through it all." Saxton relaxed a little in his seat. "Is there anything else?"

Severus shook his head. "I think that would be all for today. When should we come in again?"

Saxton thought for a second. "Can you return with Harry next Tuesday?"

Severus nodded quickly, and he stood with Harry to leave. "Thank you for your help, Mister Saxton. We'll be back then." 

Upon receiving a nod from Saxton, Harry and Severus left the room.

Severus led Harry to the lobby. "Are you ready? I think it's finally time you get to visit your parents."

Harry looked at him, incredulous. "You mean we're actually going to their graves? It wasn't a lie?"

Severus nodded. "I promised you we would go, and I keep my promises. Are you ready Harry?"

Harry grabbed his arm. "I'm ready."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Severus and Harry landed in a field near the wizarding village of Godric's Hallow. They began making their way to the town, spotting the graveyard after a moment. However, Harry grew distracted by a house in the distance. 

"That's it, isn't it, dad." His voice seemed flat and empty, and Severus knew why. He followed his son's gaze to a destroyed house, not too far from where they were standing. "That's where my mum and dad died protecting me."

Severus knelt down next to Harry. "Yes it is. Your mother and father died to ensure you live safely and happily. I am sure they would have never wanted you to be put in the hands of your aunt and uncle, but now we can ensure they will get their wish of your safety and happiness. Would you like to go visit the house before we visit their graves?"

Harry nodded, and took Severus's hand, helping him to his feet. "Let's go."

The two walked up to the house, which was utterly destroyed by the killing curse that failed to kill Harry. Harry instinctively grabbed Severus's hand, seeking comfort. "Is there any chance we can go in?"

Severus hesitated. He knew the house was dangerous, but Harry had so little in his life. He was hoping maybe Harry could find something of his parents to keep close to him. "We can go in, but you have to be very careful. I don't want you getting hurt."

Harry and Severus carefully made their way into the building, Severus going first to ensure nothing would collapse on them. As soon as Harry touched the door however, a sign appeared, stating the house stays where it was to show the sacrifice made by Lily and James Potter. Harry peered closer, and noticed all sorts of writing on it, full of support for him. His emerald eyes began to fill with tears, which he quickly wiped away. The sign had given him the courage he needed to continue. He grabbed Severus's hand and continued inside. 

Severus led him up the stairs to the room he knew was Lily's and James's room. Harry's nursery was completely destroyed, but the master bedroom was mostly intact. Harry quietly began looking around, his hands touching surfaces he knew his parents had once touched, and briefly felt their comfort. His hands roamed a dresser, and stopped upon a hair brush. Engraved into the handle was a flower. A lily, he thought. He carefully pocketed it. As he made his way over to the side of the bed, he noticed most of the floor here was decayed and broken. He decided he didn't want to risk it until he saw a glimmer of something reflected on the nightstand. He carefully crawled over the bed and grabbed it, but the momentum nearly caused him to fall through the hole. He looked back to see Severus had grabbed onto his leg just in time to prevent him from plummeting to his probably gruesome death. 

Hoisting Harry back onto stable ground, Severus took a look at what Harry had grabbed. It was a simple ring, but the engraving on the inside marked it as belonging to James Potter. Harry pocketed it as well. "Dad?" Harry paused for a moment. "Thank you for taking me here. I think I'm ready to go to the graveyard."

Severus carefully led them out of the building, Harry keeping his hand in his pocket around his parent's items. As they made their way to the graveyard, he marveled at the fact that those items were still there after all that time, just waiting for him. It was like his parents knew he was going to be back. Before he knew it, they were standing at the edge of the graveyard.

"Ready Harry?" Severus looked down at Harry, worry etched on his face. Upon receiving a nod, he began the trek to the grave he'd been to so many times. It took merely minutes, but to Harry it felt like hours. 

Harry knelt by the grave, his hands gently wrapping around the statue of his parents. "I miss you guys. I think about you every day. Thank you for saving me, and thank you for loving me." His eyes were overflowing with tears, and his voice was cracking miserably as he struggled to hold in the sobs that were threatening to break free. "I love you mum. I love you dad."

Severus put his arms around Harry. "They love you too. They will always be in your heart, Harry. We can come back and visit any time you want." After this, the pair sat in silence for a while, taking in the comfort of each others company. Finally, Harry rose.

"Thank you, dad. I think I'm ready to go home now." He turned to get a final glimpse of the headstone. "But I'd like to come back again some day." He moved towards Severus, who took his hand, and the pair apparated back to Hogsmeade.


End file.
